Saint Arnold makes first sale directly to a customer

Janet Hamric celebrates after ringing up the first Saint Arnold beer sold on site, directly to a customer. Dale Edwards was having lunch at the brewery Tuesday when it was announced Bishop's Barrel No. 3 would be sold during the afternoon tour. less

Janet Hamric celebrates after ringing up the first Saint Arnold beer sold on site, directly to a customer. Dale Edwards was having lunch at the brewery Tuesday when it was announced Bishop's Barrel No. 3 would ... more

Photo: Billy Smith II / Houston Chronicle

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Edwards, 22, says he is a big fan of Saint Arnold and tracks down the Bishop's Barrel series beers.

Edwards, 22, says he is a big fan of Saint Arnold and tracks down the Bishop's Barrel series beers.

Photo: Billy Smith II / Houston Chronicle

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BB3 was selling for $8 a bottle, as Saint Arnold marketing chief Lennie Ambrose explained that the brewery doesn't want to undercut retailers who sell the beer for that much or more. Beer samples will still be included in the admission price for Saint Arnold's weekday and Saturday tours, but the brewery will offer select beers for sale in addition. less

BB3 was selling for $8 a bottle, as Saint Arnold marketing chief Lennie Ambrose explained that the brewery doesn't want to undercut retailers who sell the beer for that much or more. Beer samples will still be ... more

Photo: Billy Smith II / Houston Chronicle

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Ambrose signed Edwards' $10 bill for a brewery keepsake.

Ambrose signed Edwards' $10 bill for a brewery keepsake.

Photo: Ronnie Crocker / Beer, TX

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Photo: Billy Smith II / Houston Chronicle

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It was a momentous day for Saint Arnold, but it wasn't the first sold beer under the new law in Houston. The ink was barely dry on Gov. Rick Perry's signature when Buffalo Bayou Brewing sold its first beers during its Saturday tour. Brewery owner Rassul Zarinfar says he sold $18 worth of beer in addition to the samples included in the tour price. less

It was a momentous day for Saint Arnold, but it wasn't the first sold beer under the new law in Houston. The ink was barely dry on Gov. Rick Perry's signature when Buffalo Bayou Brewing sold its first beers ... more

The beer — Bishop’s Barrel No. 3, a 12-ounce bottle of barrel-aged imperial stout — went for $8, a price that Saint Arnold marketing chief Lennie Ambrose called “on the lower side of retail.” He said the brewery did not want to undercut retailers who have to sell the limited-release beer for at least that much.

Dale Edwards, 22-year-old, was having lunch at the brewery when it was announced the BB3 would go on sale at the beginning of the 3 p.m. tour. He made sure he was first in line.

“I love the brewery. I love the beer,” he said as he posed for photos and took his first sips.

Meanwhile, in Austin, Jester King Craft Brewery announced it would begin selling beer June 29 and that it eventually plans to change to a brewpub license to take advantage of other provisions in the new laws that went into effect Friday.

The brewery in this blog post also took aim at a controversial provision that was derided by business testifying during a Senate hearing but allowed to remain as part of a compromise with the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas:

We are also not pleased with the passage of SB 639, which makes it expressly illegal for breweries to sell the right to distribute their products to wholesalers, while making it expressly legal for wholesalers to sell those same rights to one another. This law is tantamount to legalized theft, and we will join future efforts to see it overturned. For our complete commentary on SB 639, please follow this link.